New Ulm weekly review., 1887-10-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, u. c., Oct. Il, 1e

Washington, D. c., Oct. IA, 1887.
There is a strong probability that the
President on his return will call an ex-
ira session of Congress. His trip to the
great west has given him enlarged
ideas Of the grandeur and magnitude Of
the country over which he providen-
TALLY presides. If he had taken
that trip years ago. he would have
been wiser man, and the country
would have been saved vast amount
of financial trouble and anxiety. There
is time yet for him to atone for the ne
glect of his education of earlier years,
and if he returns with the thought that
the Presidency ofa great Nation means
something more than mere political
chicanery, the time and expense of his
trip will be of small account
The Government Printing Office is
the regular bee hive Of Washington. It
is the largest printing esta blishment in
the world, being 800 feet long, $50 feet
wide and 4 stories high. All the public
documents are printed here. and all the
modern inventions to facilitate rapid
work, are here in use. There are about
$500 employed in that building, and
the volumes issued each year reach
thousands of tons in weight and millions
Of copies. 1t is great treat to visit
the establishment.
At the National Observatory they
have a wonderful instrument known as
the "Great Equatorial Telescope,
which weighs 100000 pounds. A sight
through..that, some.,clear moonlight eve
ming, is worth a trip to Washington.
Truly ''the Heavens declare the glory
of God, and the armament sheweth his
handiwork" The observatory is under
the direction of the Navy Department,
and ranks with the foremost in the
world. Its library is very large and
choice, and is a great resort for the
thoughtful and studious.
Some Of the foreign diplomats at
Washington are exceedingly well paid
by their respective Governments, some
being double and treble what we pay
our Ministers. The British Minister
gets $50, 1000 a year, and is allowed 800
900 year for entertaining; the Ger
man Minister gets $4,000, the Japan
ese 100000, the Chinese 500 600, and
is allowed $1,000 for house rent. The
Turkish gets $4,000, the Russian $780,
900 and French $4,000. The Chinese
Minister is said to be worth $3,000,000-
and is regarded as the ablest and
sh1ewdest of all the foreign diplomats.
There are about $4,000 clerks en-
ployed in the departments at Washing
ton, about 4, 900 of this number being
females, the great majority of whom
are finely educated and most estimable
ladies. Many Of them are the widows
and daughters of noted Generals, ex.
Congressman, ex-Cabinet Ministers, etc.
and many of them. marry noted men.
There is, no doubt, quite a number of
disreputable characters in this vast ag-
gregate, but the majority of the lady
clerks will rank with the best women of
the land
The dead-letter Office reveals some
interesting facts that should cause us
to be a little more careful in our cores
pondence. During the past year, H.
100000 letters were received there,
making an average of $1,000 for every
working day. Nearly four million of
! these letters were never called for at
the post offices to which they were di-
rected, and 10000 were sent to hotels
and reached there after the guests for
whom they were intended, had left. A
great many of the letters were misdi-
rected. Fully 1000 of this kind came
to the Office every day. Many Of the
letters contain money and last year
there was $685. 900 in cash among them
and more than s1,5O0,0Oo in drafts and
money orders. Eighty four thousand
letters contained postage stamps, 49,
600 photographs, and $4,000 articles of
merchandise.
Curious Statistics.
Tho cu,:ia,1S foot Is uotad that .,aa,, tLs,